Discovery of Higgs Boson or the Higgs Particle in 2012 is one of the major achievements in the scientific community. In the media, the Higgs Boson is referred to as the God Particle. This term gained popularity after Nobel Laureate Leon Lederman published his book named 'The God Particle'. However, not many physicists seem to like this terminology for various reasons.
Discovered inside the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, the Higgs Boson or the God Particle is considered a major milestone in particle physics. It essentially confirms the presence of the Higgs field, which is responsible for providing mass to particles. With such a significant discovery, it makes us wonder if the god particle has any use in everyday life. How can the average person benefit from the discovery of Higgs Boson? To answer such questions, here are some important things to understand.
Particle collider technology
The technology used to discover the god particle can find applications in various other fields. It has the ability to propel particles at close to the speed of light. It has potential for use in sectors such as healthcare, aerospace, space research and exploration and environment conservation.
Hadron therapy
With Hadron therapy, cancer patients are able to get more effective treatment. As one may be aware, conventional radiation therapy can lead to destruction of healthy tissues along with the tumor cells. In Hadron therapy, charged particles are used instead of the X Rays. It allows more accurate targeting of the tumor cells. Moreover, there is far less damage to healthy cells in comparison to X-rays.
Electron radiotherapy
This is used in the treatment of shallow or superficial tumors such as skin tumors, keloids, certain lymph nodes and lumpectomy scars. As compared to traditional radiotherapy, exposure to deeper tissues can be minimized with electron beam radiotherapy.
Radiation monitoring
Technologies related to the Higgs Boson can be useful in understanding the harsh environment of space. Inside the particle accelerator, the environment can be as harsh as space. With technologies developed by CERN, specialized equipment can be developed for space exploration. Our astronauts will also be a lot safer. Overall, technologies developed at CERN can aid space exploration.
Pollution detection
The particle accelerator utilizes advanced detection systems and computing power to track various events happening at almost light speed. This technology can be used for various other projects. For example, it can help detect pollution sources across the globe in real time. This will allow the concerned agencies to take appropriate action.
As is evident, there are various practical uses of the technologies used in the discovery of Higgs Boson or the god particle. In the past too, CERN has contributed to the development of the World Wide Web and advancement of touchscreen technology. With that in mind, the existing technologies can be put to various other practical uses in the future.
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